Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced the city is dropping an old policy that disqualified ex-felons for employment within the city of New Orleans.

"Ban the Box" is part of a growing trend nationwide that eliminates a question on a job form that asks the question "whether they (applicants) had ever been convicted of offenses other than minor traffic violations?"

Now, people with felony convictions will be able to be judged on their qualifications rather than their criminal past.

Criminal backgrounds will still be conducted, but later in the hiring process when a candidate is being considered for the job.

The mayor said by eliminating the policy, it will help people find meaningful employment and avoid a life on the streets.

According to Landrieu, 50 percent of working-able black men are unemployed in New Orleans, and one in seven are in prison or on parole or probation.

"It is in everybody's best interest to make sure that as our young men come out of prison and incarceration, that there is a path to education, to job training and to prosperity," Landrieu said.

Some have expressed concerns about what type of jobs ex-felons could qualify for. Landrieu said safeguards will remain in place and felony convictions will still disqualify people from public safety positions.

He also encouraged all business owners in New Orleans to follow in the city's footsteps by giving able-bodied people a second chance at becoming successful and productive members of society.

Coaches were more vocal and aggressive with players as training camp pushes ahead full steam. Players clashed with one another in several hard hits and tackles, indicating that ferocity was the name of the game.

The Obama administration will unveil a major climate change plan Monday aimed at a large reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the nation's coal-burning power plants, a senior administration official told CNN.